Rheinmetall announced on 12 January 2026 that it is supplying Ukraine with additional systems for national defence, including the country’s first Lynx KF41 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) as early as the beginning of 2026.
A contract to this effect, Rheinmetall stated, was signed in December 2025. The order value for the first five IFVs is in the mid double-digit-million-euro range, with the systems being financed by the German government.
The decision in favour of the Lynx KF41 was made after extensive testing of the next-generation IFV, Rheinmetall noted. The vehicles bound for Ukraine will feature the two-man Lance turret, which is typically armed with a Rheinmetall MK30-2/ABM 30 mm automatic cannon and co-axial 7.62 mm light machine gun, and be configured specifically for Ukraine’s armed forces. The next step is to procure additional batches, which Rheinmetall says will include production in Ukraine.
The Lynx is currently only in operational service in Hungary, which has ordered 218 IFVs and received its first example in October 2022. The Hungarian Defence Forces (HDF) then received the first of 172 domestically produced Lynx KF41s on 24 July 2024. The KF41 entering operational service in Ukraine will therefore see the IFV’s first use in combat.
“We are grateful for the trust that Ukraine has placed in us,” Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger was quoted as saying in a company press release. “We would also like to thank the German government for its support. This order is a fundamental success that underscores our continued efforts to support Ukraine.”
The Lynx IFV family is based on a modular platform that features an open electronic architecture and, according to Rheinmetall, the largest protected interior volume in its class and “exceptional growth potential for future technologies and mission profiles”.
“With a scalable weight concept, a highly efficient drive system and state-of-the-art protection technology, it combines mobility with maximum safety. At the same time, the Lynx impresses with its high level of ergonomics for the crew, which enables efficient and comfortable operation even during long missions,” Rheinmetall stated.
Lynx KF41s are substantially sized IFVs; they can weigh up to 50 tonnes and are 7.845 m long, 3.78 m wide and 3.3 m high. The vehicles have a crew of three and depending on their configuration, room for up to eight dismounts.
Powered by a six-cylinder in-line diesel engine developing 850 kW, they have a maximum road speed of more than 65 km/h, a wading depth of 1.5 m, can climb 1 m obstacles and can cross trenches 2.5 m wide.
